Maldonado, Jordan face off in Harris County district clerk runoff

Early voting for the Harris County district clerk runoff ended Friday, leaving voters to decide between Jose Alex Maldonado and Darrell Jordan Jr. in a race that will shape how one of the county’s busiest court offices handles filings, records and jury service.

The two Democrats advanced after an eight-candidate March 3 primary produced no majority winner. Early vote totals showed Jordan ahead with 37,959 votes to Maldonado’s 32,306, but both moved on to the May 26 runoff after no candidate cleared 50 percent.

The office they want is more than a clerical post. The Harris County District Clerk’s Office says it receives around 1 million civil filings each year and about 300,000 criminal filings. It also produces civil citations, criminal warrants, criminal judgments and sentences, and other ministerial court documents that keep the county’s civil and criminal courts moving.

A Harris County budget presentation describes the district clerk as the recorder and custodian of court pleadings for more than 90 courts. It said the office employs just over 500 people and maintains a court registry with nearly $100 million in more than 10,000 custodial accounts. For residents trying to track a lawsuit, family case or criminal matter, the office is often the front door to the court system.

Maldonado has argued that the office needs a more user-friendly IT system, better online tools, clearer case tracking, a pay comparison study to help retain staff and stronger onboarding and training. Jordan has said the office needs modernized infrastructure, more reliable networks and streamlined workflows, along with higher juror pay so more county residents can answer summonses and serve.

That focus on operations, not ideology, is central to the runoff. The district clerk’s own juror pages show how often residents encounter the office in practical ways. The office provides eJuror access and warns that it does not contact people by phone about jury service, directing jurors to official online resources instead.

The race also offers voters a chance to compare the contenders with the office’s recent history. Marilyn Burgess, who chose not to seek reelection, campaigned in 2018 on modernizing jury service through online registration, increasing jury diversity and ensuring a living wage for district clerk staff. That record now sits alongside competing promises from Maldonado and Jordan about how to make the county court system faster, clearer and easier to use.

Harris County’s election page said early voting for the May 26 primary runoff ran Monday, May 18 through Friday, May 22, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The final decision now rests with voters who will choose who manages one of the county’s most important administrative offices.